Memory
by Crikey3632
Summary: Set after Serenity. Maggie Reily is a wanted fugitive, recently escaped from The Acadamy. After she stumbles upon our favorite group of con artists, can she convince them to pull the ultimate heist?
1. Chapter 1

_When I was little, my Mum used to tell me stories of our home planet, Earth-that was. Humans used its resources up, all of the land and the fruit. So we moved out, expanded into new galaxies and moons. We __terra-formed__ and colonized hundreds of __new earths__; some, rich and flush with the __new technologies__; some, not so much. The central planets - them that formed the __Alliance__ - decided all the planets had to join under their rule. _

_There was some disagreement on that point. _

_ After the __Unification War__, many of the __Independents__ who had fought and lost drifted to the edges of civilization. When my Dad came back from the war, the Alliance kept a close eye on us. My parents sent me away to an academy, a place where I could be safe from the Alliance's control, but what they didn't know was that they were sending me straight into the lion's den. They experimented with your, fiddled with your mind. I didn't stay long._

_ So now I'm off to find a ship, a good ship that doesn't ask too many questions. I guess you could say I'm running away from something. But, hey, from now on, I got one thing to say: I'll always be running._

"Maggie Riley, you are here by bound by law! Halt and put your hands in the air!" Alliance feds yelled as they busted into the bar. They spread out along the wall, Taser guns and dart pistols aimed at her. They wanted her alive. Maggie let out a deep sigh and pursed her lips. Sure, she wasn't old enough to be technically _in_ the bar, but, hey, she had had a bad week. Irritated, she slowly stood up and put her hand in the air.

A young officer came up behind her and pulled her hands down, ready to cuff them. Maggie turned her head sideways and blew her brown hair out of her face, giving the officer a saucy look. "Hey, there a chance you could just let this one slide?" She said. Her voice was tainted with a soft Irish accent.

The fed only answered by closing the cuff roughly on her left wrist. A special part of her brain took over. She closed her eyes and let out a cool breath of air. Her lips rose into a devilish grin. She was no longer the person that was sitting in the bar. She was the now the person the Alliance were looking for. "I thought not, luv."

Her hand quickly grabbed the officer's wrist and twisted it around so his back was facing her. Her fist collided on the top of his head and the agent slumped to the ground. She quickly took the gun from this hostler and shot at the other officers. Six guards were out cold before they knew what hit them. Five officers remained.

She ducked under a table to avoid gun-fire. She fired shots at the guards, but aimed too high. Hands suddenly grabbed her from behind by her shoulders. She struggled as her body scraped across the floor. Her heavy army boots caught a footing and she pushed off with her feet. She flung herself upwards, flipped, and landed behind the man. She pressed her dart gun against his neck. A needle shot into the skin and he was soon unconscious.

Maggie kicked to her right, taking out another oncoming officer. She spun like a ballerina and hit a guy in the gut. Maggie was powerful, a man-made weapon. Her moves were graceful and perfect. No one in the Alliance could stop her. She turned and kneed another in the groin. He squealed and tumbled over in the fetal position. Maggie smirked. She grabbed his Taser and slammed it against the back of his skull.

The bar was silent. All the costumers had evacuated a long time ago. Shattered liquor bottled littered the floor. Maggie stepped over the unconscious bodies, limb after limb. She hoisted herself up and over the bar. A long rifle was sitting on a rack. She took the gun into her hands and cocked the weapon.

Distinctive and sharp, Maggie heard the scrapings of glass on the floor. A small whimper rang out in her ears. A guard was cradling a radio close to his face. Blood was seeping from a laser wound in his leg. His voice quivered as he talked into the walkie-talkie. "Sir, we need back-up! She took eleven soldiers out in fifteen minutes with no signs of stopping. She's a-"

Maggie pressed the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. A single bullet casing fell to the floor. The shot awoke Maggie from her trance. She blinked several times before she registered where she was. Her whole body began to shake. The rifle dropped out of her shivering fingers. "Oh, god what have I done?"

**Author's Note: OK, so, that's chapter one. Comment below to tell me what you think about it, what I can change, etc. I have about 7 chapters finished and edited so I'll try to get those up as soon as possible.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh, god! Wahoo!" Captain Malcolm Reynolds screamed out in joy as he steered his spaceship into the atmosphere. A brown headed girl sat next to him, laughing uncontrollably, her hands on a control-stick. _Serenity_ spun on its side through the clouds. Pieces of metal flew off the wings and out into the distance. Smoke billowed from the engines.

A young black woman tumbled through the hallway and into the bridge. "Captain, sir, I suggest not allowing _River_ to co-pilot this ship in the near future. You guys have way too much-" An engine exploded in the background and the ship lurched to one side, "…fun."

Mal flipped a few buttons and the ship slowed down to a reasonable speed. "Zoë, you know how I feel about backseat flying."

"Well, Captain, you know how I feel about dying."

"Touché" He said.

At that moment a girl with long wavy hair hopped into the bridge. She was wearing brown coveralls. Grease was smeared on her face and she was holding a socket wrench. "Captain, the compression cables been blown out of the water. We're needing some parts for the engine, real bad_. Serenity's _barely holding on down there; and not in a good way either:"

"I thought you told me that was good for another week and a half!"

"That was six weeks ago!"

Mall looked around his seat, cursing in Chinese as he went. A roll of duct tape was rolling around on the floorboards. He grabbed it and tossed it to the brunette. "There. Fix it!"

The mechanic ran down the stairs into the engine room. Moments later, the engine sputtered into a constant hum and the ship leveled out in the air.

"We'll be touching be touching down on Persephone in about twenty minutes. Kaylee can get the parts she needs down there. Try to stay under the radar. We don't need any Alliance feds snooping around our legitimately obtained cargo."

Mal got up out of the pilot's seat. Zoë took over by placing her hands on the controls. River followed the Captain down into the cargo bay. A big muscled guy was sitting on a crate and cleaning a heavy arsenal of guns laid out before him. "Hey, mind telling us what kind of flying that was up there? I nearly blew my head off."

"Jayne, we all know what a miracle that would have been." The Captain said. "Once we land, refuel the ship. Get any supplies that we might be low on."

The brute nodded and shoved a pistol in his hostler. A young man ran down the stairs dressed in a silk vest over a fancy white shirt.

"River," He yelled, "Who let you fly the _ship_?"

"Simon, I'm ok. My brain withstood damage." She said with a hint of annoyance. She rolled her eyes as her older brother checked her for scrapes and bruises. A giant _thud _shook the ship as _Serenity_ landed at the Eavesdown Docks on Persephone.

"Don't worry, Doc. Just let River take her for a spin," The Captain said.

"_Just_ for a spin!" Jayne interrupted, chuckling, "You nearly crashed the _gorram _plane."

Mal let out a deep breath and shook his head. "Everyone's making a fuss."

"We're trying to make a point, captain." Jayne said. Mal turned and glared at him with pierced lips and raised eyebrows.

"Oh, really? What might that be?"

Simon spoke up softly and gently. "Sir, with all due respect, he's trying to say we need a new pilot. You're not meant to fly this ship."

"No, we don't. Wash is the pilot. It is his job to fly _Serenity_-" The Captain yelled.

Jayne yelled back, "Wash is dead! He's been gone for three months!"

"Get out. You're fired!" Mal commanded. "Get off my ship!"

"Captain!" Zoë's voice shouted from the stairway that led to the bridge. Her curly black hair was tied back in a ponytail.

The Captain pointed to her with a stern tone. "Zoë, You just leave this be. I have it under control."

"No. For once, you listen to me." Zoë said. Her jaw was clenched as she fought back tears. "Wash was my husband. He died getting us to safety. He would want the ship to be flown by a proper pilot. He would need this... _I _need this."

Mal studied the floor and ran his fingers through his ruffled brown hair. He closed his eyes and spoke softly, "Kaylee?"

The young mechanic, who had retreated a few yards backwards during the argument, said, "Yes, Capt'n?"

"Open the cargo bay doors. Find us a pilot."

**Author's Note: Short Chapter, but still comment to tell me what to think. Comments give me motivation to keep posting.**


	3. Chapter 3

Maggie stared at the bar around her. Guards and soldiers lay sprawled about on the floor. She stepped back and glass twinkled on the floor. Her breathing picked up and all thoughts in her brain scattered.

She was beginning to lose control of her panic when something red caught her eye. Narrow beams of red light shone through the doorway and windows. She flipped her head, wrenching it backwards, trying to catch sight of them all. They wove about the bar for a few moments before settling on one single place. Five red dots appeared on her chest jacket. It took Maggie a few seconds before two and two connected in her head. Her eyes widened and she let out a string of Chinese curses. She launched her body to the floor as bullets riddled through the thin walls. Using her elbows, Maggie crawled to the door and blasted into the sunshine.

The salty wind blew through her long brown hair. The air smelt of fish and the sun beat down on the hot dirt. Booths, wicker baskets, and fruit carts all lined the sides of the narrow bazaar. Maggie could hear the sounds of a door being battered down as more soldiers got up to her knees and she broke into a run through the market. She weaved her small figure through the crowd of customers. The soldiers with guns slung over their shoulder tore apart the crowd, pushing people to the side.

Maggie grabbed and tipped a basket of oranges and grapefruit over, hoping to stumble up her pursuers, but to no avail. She hopped over boxes and ran around the corner. Bullets whizzed past her head and dust sprinkled down from the above brick. She ducked into an alley and braced herself close to the wall. She squinted her eyes and breathed a few deep breaths. She squinted at her eyes, expecting some miracle. Nothing happened.

"How hard is it to get rutting brainwashed around here? Je shr shuh muh lan dong shi!" She cursed. She rolled her eyes and continued running.

Bullets bit at her heels and she let out a yelp. Once again turning a corner, she entered the Eavesdown docks. Mobs of people walked around, examining spaceships and making deals. People were shouting and yelling. Noisy honks came from jeeps carrying cargo. Everyone was wearing rough clothing and dirt or grease covered their cheeks. Two working men lifting a large sheet of metal about two feet off the ground across the pathway.

Maggie looked over her shoulder to see the soldiers still chasing her. The sheet of metal wouldn't make it across the road in time. An idea came to Maggie's head and that idea turned into a plan. Her feet moved faster and she began to pick up speed.

Maggie zeroed in on the two feet of space between the metal and the ground. . More bullets were fired and sparks ricocheted off the metal. The metal blockade was getting closer and closer. Ten feet away, then five feet, then three. This was her chance

"Ahhh!" She screamed. Maggie dived to the ground. Maggie quickly turned her dive into a roll. She somersaulted under the blockade and into the mob of sellers, traders, and customers. A sharp pain hit her thigh. Her entire leg was soon on fire. She grunted with agony as she got up and limped into the masses. People swarmed around her, protecting her from the guard's eyes and, more importantly, bullets. At last, she staggered out of the crowd and on to the spaceship docks. The soldiers were long behind her and she was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Both of her hands clutched her legs and blood was beginning to seep through the fabric. She hobbled past ships big and wide. Their metal gleamed in the searing heat. Finally, she found a small ship on the outer docks. Its head hovered over her, connected to the rest of the vessel like a bird. Two engines were extended on each side and the backside was rounded like a lightning bug. The metal paneling was rusted on the outside but seemed to cling to the ship with loyalty. Broken wires hung from the engines.

Maggie found the energy to smile. Sweat dotted Maggie's forehead and the ground was beginning to spin. She looked from side to side. A mechanic was talking to a pilot by the cargo ramp. A man in a fancy shirt was chasing a girl around, laughing. A guy with a gun slung over his shoulder was driving a mule transport packed with cargo towards the ramp. Maggie ducked quickly inside the door, out of sight. Her leg protested at the sudden movement. Her stomach lurched and her head fogged up.

She listened hard for the rumbling of the mule's engine approaching. The machine rumbled past the doorway. Using the machine as cover, she stumbled across the ship's cargo bay. She tripped and fell into the retreat of the shipload's crates and boxes, clutching onto the wood for balance. Breathing hard, she tried to quiet her grunts and whimpers. She leaned against a huge crate in the back, far away from anyone's sight. She lifted her head backwards to peek over the edge.

The driver of the mule was unloading cargo. A tall man with tight pants seemed to be arguing with a mechanic. "What did you think of the pilot, Captain?" She said.

"I don't know, Kaylee. I guess he seemed to know what he was doing. What's-his-face can fly at least. What was his name? Caleb, Christian…?" He said as he leaned against a crate. H stared at the floor and his voice was somber.

"His name was Conner. I kind of liked him." She said with a chirp.

The mule driver rolled his eyes and muttered. "Of course you liked him. He couldn't keep his eyes of your-"

The Captain cut him off. "That's enough Jayne. Unload those boxes why don't you?"

Jayne swore and mumbled curses. "I'd move a little faster if I wasn't the only one doing work around here."

The Captain walked over to the mule and started unloading cargo at the far end of the cargo bay. No one had noticed her sneak on board. Maggie slumped back down. She bit into one of her sleeves and, with a pull, ripped the fabric.

Her fingers fumbled with the cloth to tie it around her bloody thigh. Her fingertips trembled with the knot and the boxes around her blurred in and out. She blinked once, trying to clear her head. She wiped her forehead of sweat and accidentally smeared blood on her cheek. She looked down at her shaky fingertips, before her thoughts seemed to float to the back of her mind.

**Author's Note: More Comments = More Chapters!**


	4. Chapter 4

Maggie's conscious drifted away until she was no longer in her mind. She wasn't on a planet or even in her own body. Her bullet wound was gone and her pants were no longer stained. Her clothing had completely changed into a white silk dress. She was somewhere…else. She was on a cliff high above the salty ocean. A small peninsula stretched farther out from the mainland and she was standing on the edge. The blue sky shone bright and a peaceful wind blew her hair across her face. Small waves crashed on the rocks below.

Maggie looked above and below and from side to side. Happiness and relief was all she could feel. The greenest grass she could ever imagine was spread out behind her. Patches of the stuff grew lower on the cliffs.

Maggie twirled around with her arms in the air. Glee filled her every muscle and she breathed with utter bliss. It seemed like nothing could go wrong here. She stopped in her tracks when she saw a man with blond hair was standing alone a few feet away from her. He looked around him, startled and confused. He finally stared at Maggie. "Huh, that's new."

The man standing in front of her was a few inches taller than her. His bronze hair was sticking out in all directions. His ears were big and he wore a goofy grin. The wind rustled a Hawaiian shirt with palm trees and such that hid a green cargo shirt.

"I mean, that's weird. I was…up there and now….I'm down here in this…strange land." He said. He looked at Maggie then behind himself and then to Maggie again. He scratched his head as he tried to figure it out. "Where are we on Ariel? One of those fancy Alliance resorts, maybe? Or, no, don't tell me. We're on one of those exotic moons! Anastasia or Boros, perhaps? Yes, Boros! I've always wanted to go Boros!"

"Um, who the hell are you?" Maggie said.

"Oh, right. You haven't met me yet. Sorry, you can call me Wash." He said. He held out his hand. Maggie didn't shake it. He let his hand stay in the air for a few seconds before it dropped awkwardly to his side. "I'm a pilot, actually. Though, I'm pretty sure you're lying unconscious on my ship."

Wash cocked his head to the side. "You're Maggie, right?"

"Yeah. How do you know that?" She said. She looked at him with a cautious look.

"Ugh, how do I explain this? Um, I'm…" He took a deep breath before blurting out, "I'm dead." He was uneasy and it was starting to freak Maggie out. "I know things. I can see and feel everything that I want to. For instance, I know that you're running from Alliance feds."

"I was shot. You could put two and two together." Maggie said. Her tone was skeptical, but she was unusually relaxed.

"The rambling was kind of exaggerated earlier on. I didn't want to go all ghost of Christmas future on you." He laughed, but stifled the chuckle when he saw Maggie's face. He quickly tried to change the subject. "So, what's this place, anyway?

She took a deep breath and walked to the edge of the cliff. Her toes brushed the edge. She felt the wind flow against her cheek. She took comfort in the breeze, but it was tainted with the strange sense of déjà vu. This place seemed all too familiar. It was just on the tip of her tongue, just barely out of reach. She whispered to herself. "I can't remember. I can never remember."

She looked up at Wash. He was standing there, doing the only thing he could do, listen. He was goofy and odd, sure. But something about him connected with her. She strangely felt like she could trust him. Wash said, "Ok then, is it an animal, mineral, or vegetable?"

A single laugh came from her mouth. It was her first laugh in a long time. A smile briefly appeared on her lips, before something went wrong. She had a strange feeling that someone had done something to her, that something was off. Her head suddenly exploded with pain. Her hands cradled the sides of her head as she let out a tormented cry. Wash rushed to her side with worry. "Maggie, what's wrong? What happened?"

Her vision went haywire and Wash's personality completely changed. He now was standing away from her. He rolled his eyes. "Stop complaining, you stupid brat!"

"What?" She gasped. She had to concentrate to focus on anything. Her eyesight went haywire. Wash was back at her side, still worried. She fell down to her knees. Her vision blurred once again. Wash's outfit changed in the blink of an eye. His shirt was stained red and a giant harpoon was impaled in his stomach. His hand was clutching his gut. His looked slowly upward and stared at Maggie. A trickle of red fell from his lips.

Maggie screamed and recoiled. Her thoughts were scrambled. Her head erupted with pain and she fell backwards. Her head hit the ground with a hard _thunk. _She jolted back to reality. She was back on the ship, but she was standing in the middle of the cargo bay.

She looked around. A captain and a black woman had guns pointed at her. In her hand was a small pistol. She turned around quickly and whirled the gun around unsteady, still aimed and cocked. A Captain was yelling at her.

"Stop right there, _tah mah de_!" He screamed. "Don't move!"

The entire crew had surrounded her. Maggie immediately took in all of the sights around her. Nothing escaped her sight. A big brute was lying unconscious on the ground. A girl covered in grease was looking all around trying to figure out what was going on.

A man in a silk vest was standing in front of a young long-hair brunette. His body was stiff and he glared in a curious manner at Maggie. The girl by his side caught her eye. She seemed to look at her the way the others didn't, like she recognized Maggie. The girl's eyes widened and glassed over. A sleepy little smile came to her lips before she said, "Oh, the oceans! The tiny waves lay before the mean grassy cliff. But don't fall over, no! Be careful not to lose your mind..."

The man in the vest quieted her. "Hush, mei-mei."

**Author's Note: OK, so this chapter was the hardest to write and would really like comments on it. More Comments = More Chapters!**


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